The invention relates to a rural mailbox with two flags and more particularly to a mailbox with a primary flag that indicates there is mail to be picked up by a postal employee and a secondary flag that indicates there is mail for a post office patron. The disclosure incorporates the rural mailbox flags disclosed in provisional patent application Serial No. 60/155,618, filed Sep. 23, 1999, whose priority is claimed for this application.
Rural mailboxes, which are serviced by mail carriers from a vehicle in some urban areas as well as rural areas, have a pivotally attached rigid flag on an outer side wall. A postal patron pivots the rigid flag upward to a generally vertical position when there is something in the mailbox for a postal employee to pick up such as letters that are being sent to another address. The postal employee stops and checks the mailbox when the rigid flag is pivoted to the upright position whether he has mail to deliver to the mailbox or not. After checking the mailbox, the employee pivots the rigid flag to a generally horizontal storage position.
The postal patron can determine that the rigid flag has been pivoted to a lowered storage position from a moderate distance. When the rigid flag has been lowered the patron knows that incoming mail is likely to be in the mailbox and that the mailbox should be checked and mail in the mailbox should be removed. However, most postal patrons do not place outgoing mail in their mailboxes for pick up by a postal employee. For security reasons most postal patrons deliver outgoing mail to a post office receiving facility such as a locked steel receiving box or a post office. Patrons who use the pivoted rigid flag and place their outgoing mail in their mailbox generally do not have outgoing mail everyday or every other day. The rigid flag would remain down and would not indicate incoming mail is in the mailbox on days that there is no outgoing mail.
Postal employees stop at a rural mailbox only if they have mail to deliver to the mailbox or if the rigid flag is pivoted to an upright and raised position. Some postal patrons do not receive mail everyday. On days that they do not receive incoming mail, the rigid flag will be lowered by a postal employee when picking up outgoing mail.
A lowered rigid flag that is pivotally attached to rural mailboxes will on occasion indicate that mail has been delivered to the mailbox and that this mail should be retrieved. However, the rigid flag was not intended to indicate that a postal employee has delivered mail to the mailbox and will generally not indicate that there is mail in the mailbox for a variety of reasons including the above examples.
Rural mailboxes, which are serviced by a postal employee from a vehicle, are generally some distance from the home or office, of post office patrons. While going to and from their mailboxes, patrons are subjected to all of the weather variations of the locality. There can be extreme heat or cold, precipitation and wind. To avoid extreme weather condition as well as unnecessary walks, most people would prefer to go to their mailbox only when there is incoming mail in the mailbox.
The mailbox has a floor, a rear wall, side walls, a top, and an open front. A mailbox lid is pivotally attached to the side walls adjacent to the floor for pivotal movement between a closed position in which the open front of the mailbox is closed and an open position. In the open position, the mailbox lid extends generally horizontally away from the rear wall and a forward edge of the floor.
A flexible flag shaft has a base attached to the mailbox adjacent to the rear wall. The flag shaft base is held in a position in which a free end of the shaft tends to extend vertically upward from the base. A flag is secured to the flag shaft near the free end.
A flag shaft tip holder plate is attached to the mailbox lid so as not to interfere with opening and closing of the lid. A portion of the holder plate extends outwardly from an edge of the mailbox lid. An aperture in a portion of the holder plate that extends outwardly from an edge of the mailbox lid receives the free end of the flexible shaft and holds the free end in a lowered position when the lid is closed. Opening the mailbox lid releases the free end of the flag shaft. Upon release of the free end of the flexible flag shaft, the flag shaft straightens and the flag is raised to a position in which it can be seen and identified from a substantial distance.
The flexible flag shaft raises the flag upon opening of the mailbox lid by a postal employee to deposit mail in the mailbox. Movement of the free end of the flag shaft to raise the flag is in an arc up and to the rear of the mailbox lid. After the postal patron removes incoming mail from the mailbox and closes the lid, the free end of the flag shaft is reinserted into the aperture in the holder plate and the flag is hold in a lowered position.